Seminars & Events

Mathematics and Computer Science Division
"A novel Staphylococcus aureus regulatory system that is activated by heme and modulates virulence"

DATE: June 8, 2007
TIME: 10:30am
SPEAKER: Eric Skaar, Vanderbilt University
LOCATION: Bldg: 221, Conference Room A216, Argonne National Laboratory
HOST: Terry Disz

Description:
Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium responsible for tremendous morbidity and mortality worldwide, exists as a harmless commensal organism in approximately 25% of the human population. The molecules and machinery that facilitate the switch from commensal colonizer to invading pathogen have not been reported. We have recently identified the S. aureus Heme-Sensor System (HssRS) that responds to heme exposure and activates the expression of the Heme Regulated Transporter (HrtAB). Our data indicate that inactivation of the Hss or Hrt systems leads to increased virulence in a vertebrate infection model, which correlates with the increased secretion of staphylococcal virulence factors that alter the host immune response. Importantly, genomic analyses have identified orthologous Hss and Hrt systems in multiple Gram positive pathogens, suggesting a conserved regulatory system by which these organisms sense and respond to heme as a molecular marker of internal host tissue.

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